James Gurney

This daily weblog by Dinotopia creator James Gurney is for illustrators, plein-air painters, sketchers, comic artists, animators, art students, and writers. You'll find practical studio tips, insights into the making of the Dinotopia books, and first-hand reports from art schools and museums.

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or by email:gurneyjourney (at) gmail.comSorry, I can't give personal art advice or portfolio reviews. If you can, it's best to ask art questions in the blog comments.

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All images and text are copyright 2015 James Gurney and/or their respective owners. Dinotopia is a registered trademark of James Gurney. For use of text or images in traditional print media or for any commercial licensing rights, please email me for permission.

However, you can quote images or text without asking permission on your educational or non-commercial blog, website, or Facebook page as long as you give me credit and provide a link back. Students and teachers can also quote images or text for their non-commercial school activity. It's also OK to do an artistic copy of my paintings as a study exercise without asking permission.

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Ivan Kramskoi's Christ in the Desert (1872) is more than just an illustration from the Bible. It uses the story of Christ's sojourn in the wilderness to comment on personal and contemporary concerns.

Kramskoi (Russian, 1837-1887) wrote: "Influenced by a variety of things, I have come to a very distressing understanding of life, and I clearly see that there is a moment in every man's life...when he is in doubt: whether to go to the right or to the left This, then, is not Christ. Or rather, I don't know who it is. It is an expression of my own ideas...Christ is alone and tormented by doubts: should he go to the people, teach them, suffer and perish, or should he yield to temptation and give it all up."

The critics of the old guard did not receive the painting warmly, accusing the artist of distorting the scripture and expressing anti-religious feelings. But the younger artists embraced the vision. Tolstoy said, "This is the best Christ I know."
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From the book Fifty Russian Artists, published by Raduga Publishers, Moscow

Went to the website you had with Kramskoi's name highlighted, and there is a portrait of someone named Taras Shevchenko, that could be Vladimir Putin's doppleganger if you shaved off his mustache. Thanks for the post he did some really nice work.

I wonder if he is thinking,"My Yoke is easy and my burden light". Referring to the artists intent to capture the emotional state of the model, Mogilevtsev in "Fundamentals of Painting" (previously reviewed on this blog), stated,"....your feelings will be "recorded" with the paint and will be transmitted to the viewer. Kramskoi has transmitted Christ's humanity very well. Thanks for showing us this work on your blog James.